The New York Yankees have decided to stop playing Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" after learning of her history of potential racism, the New York Daily News reported on Thursday.
According to the Daily News, Smith was a famous singer during World War II and previously recorded a song titled "Pickaninny Heaven." The tune was "directed at 'colored children' who should fantasize about an amazing place with 'great big watermelons.'" The video that accompanied the song was shot in an orphanage for black children and included imagery that was "startlingly racist."
Smith also reportedly recorded a tune titled, "That's Why Darkies Were Born," which includes the lyric, "Someone had to pick the cotton.